God’s
Eternal Love
by Kevin Rolfe
There comes a time when upon the meditations of Scripture, or upon our great God, when the stark realization of your
own finite humanity stands as a giant road block between you and the path wherein your meditations have been leading. The
question that was originally asked (that lead me to this place, and hence this writing) was rather simple: do you believe
that you were loved of God while still in your sins, without Christ?
Though the answer to this question is – Scripturally speaking – a resounding yes (Eph.2:4, 5; Rom.5:8;
1Jn.4:10 and others) there are differences within Christianity as to who – whether the elect only or for all generally
– this love of God is for. Though I believe God loves His creation; on a person by person basis, I believe ( according
to the Scriptures) that He “hates all workers of iniquity” (Ps.5:5) and is angry with them every day (Ps.7:11)
so that His love falls especially on His elect people (Jn.13:35).This is an old argument fought for centuries and is not the
purpose of this writing. I will say that where a person stands on the issue of the sovereignty of God will usually (with certain
nuances) determine which side of the issue they come down on.
With that said, and stressing the point that I believe that God only loves (individually and salvifically) His elect,
I determine to show (by God’s grace) that this electing love is eternal, and unchangeable, and in so doing, bring strength
and comfort to any saint of God who reads this article (as inadequate for such a weighty subject matter as it is).
Eternity and Immutability
The place to start is with God, and specifically His
eternity and immutability. The Scriptures everywhere testify to these glorious attributes of our triune God. “Before
the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, from EVERLASTING TO EVERLASTING, thou
art God” (Ps.90:2); “I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which IS, and which WAS,
and which IS TO COME, the Almighty” (Rev.1:8), for just 2 examples of His eternity, a truth attested to by any Christian,
anywhere at anytime.
God’s immutability, on the other hand, seems more of a contentious issue though. And despite His own words, the
denial of this wonderful attribute has inevitably led to the ‘open theism’ heresy, the child of Arminianism, and
grandchild of Pelagianism. The refutation of open theism and indeed of Arminianism and Pelagianism has been adequately handled
elsewhere, and will not be visited here. I would, using Scripture – for which the purveyors of these heresies have all
but cast off, or diced up to their own liking – quote a couple of verses, proving God’s immutability, so as to
move on with my intentions. “BUT THOU ART THE SAME, and thy years shall have no end” (Ps.102:27; Heb.1:12b) “For
I am the Lord, I CHANGE NOT” (Mal.3:6a), “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down
from the Father of lights, WITH WHOM IS NO VARIABLENESS OR SHADOW OF TURNING” (Ja.1:17).
These 2 attributes are inseparably linked. Being immutable evidences God’s eternity. Not being subject to change
is to never have had a beginning, never to have learned, grown in stature, wisdom, power or knowledge, or added to in any
other way, nor to diminish in any way. Being finite creatures and subject to change every moment, from every outside and inside
influence, God’s eternity and immutability is impossible for us to comprehend. The very fact of our being created ‘in
time’ prevents us from crossing over ( in our meditations) to a place we cannot go, but know is there, indeed always
has been and will be there.
Time and Purpose
It might be helpful at this point to consider this issue of ‘time’. The creation of the universe was also
the creation of time, purposed by God, from eternity. In other words: before creation there was only – as always had
been – eternity. In this eternity (pre-creation, if you will) there was only the triune God; self existing, eternal,
unchangeable and perfectly content within Himself (Jn.17:5, 24; Pr.8:30), not needing anything (Ac.17:25).
We must consider this when speaking of creation. The very absence of time, in eternity, speaks of perpetuity. The purposes
of God could not have been made as a ‘new’ thing, for that would indicate ‘invention’ which cannot
be reconciled with immutability, nor with His perfect knowledge (Is.46:9, 10).This would also hold true for the whole counsel
of God. His infinite knowledge and immutability does not allow for additions or subtractions, or for that matter, mistakes
or surprises.
In and for Christ it was purposed ( Eph.3:11; Col.1:16 ) that He should step into time – from eternity –
take on our nature ( 1Jn.4:2,3 ); suffer ( Heb.13:12 ); die and rise from the dead ( 1Cor.15:3,4 ); to save His people from
their sins ( Mt.1:21 ); and bring many sons to glory ( Heb.2:10 ); all by the determined counsel of God ( Ac.2:23 ); before
the world began ( 2Tim.1:9 ); all to the praise of His glorious grace ( Eph.1:6 ).
God’s Love Towards
His Own
But this is not all! This glorious, wonderful, Holy, most gracious God did all of this also because He loves us. The
history of redemption that we see played out in the pages of the holy Scriptures and experience in our own lives, as they
are “in Christ” (2Cor.5:17), is not some general love with which He loves all mankind, and is ‘activated’
(salvifically or especially) by some imagined ‘decision’ on our part, or a ‘new feeling’ that God
develops towards us. No, the Scriptures everywhere declare that this is not the case.
We were elect ( 1Pet.1:2 ), chosen ( Eph.1:4 ) and predestinated ( Eph.1:5 ) by the Father; called ( Rom.8:30 ), regenerated
( Ti.3:5 ) and sanctified ( 1Pet.1:2 ) by the Holy Spirit; and washed ( Rev.1:5 ), justified ( Rom.5:9 ) and reconciled (
Eph.2:16 ) by the blood of the Son. Our great triune God has eternally determined to save you, me, and all His children by
the gift of faith (Ph.1:29; Eph.2:8) in the everlasting gospel (Rev.14:6): not because we loved Him, but because He loved
us (1Jn.4:10), with an everlasting love (Jer.31:3). The contemplation of these things can only increase our joy, peace, comfort,
and strength, no matter what Satan, the world, or our own infirmities can throw at us. “Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God’s elect”!? (Rom.8:33)
The Question of Sin
But how do we reconcile God’s eternal love for us with the fact that we were at one time “children of wrath”
(Eph.2:3), “aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel” (Eph.2:12) and “enemies in our own minds by wicked works”
(Col.1:21)? Does not the Scripture declare that God “hates all workers of iniquity” (Ps.5:5)? Indeed it does,
but Scripture also declares in numerous places that He loved us while we were yet in our sins (Eph.2:4, 5; Rom.5:8; 1Jn.4:9,
10. So which is it? Were we once hated and now loved? The answer, after diligent search of the context of these particular
passages and the whole of Scripture reveals the answer to be indisputably, NO!
There are two classes (if you will) of people who have ever lived, the chosen and the reprobate. Those who were chosen
were given to Jesus Christ (Jn.10:29; 17:9, 10; 1Cor.1:30; 2Cor.5:21; Eph.3:11) before the world began, that by the “blood
of His cross” (Col.1:20), they would be delivered from the wrath to come (1Thess.1:10) upon a creation cursed by sin.
The other class – the reprobate – are not, nor were ever to be partakers of these salvation promises. All of this
will rebound to the glory of God – as the 24 elders before the throne declare – “Thou art worthy, O Lord,
to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created”
(Rev.4:11), for “He hath made all things for himself, yea even the wicked for the day of evil” (Pr.16:4).
Search the Scriptures until your eyes burn and you will not find any saint who at anytime was- before being called
- said to be hated by God! Certainly this is not true of the unelect and holds true from eternity. His love towards us must
be eternal and immutable, for He is eternal and immutable. Though we experience regeneration, faith, repentance and sanctification
‘in time’, because we are in time, the immutable God decreed, from eternity, that these things should, in time,
be so. No other conclusion can we arrive at from a proper reading of the Scriptures, and understanding (as much as is revealed
in the Scriptures) of God. As those Gentiles ( Ac.13:48 ) “were ordained unto eternal life”, so to are we, by
God’s providential care brought to salvation, at a certain point and time in our lives, before determined by Him.
You who are parents understand this eternal love in a finite way. From conception you love your child. You plan, labor
and instruct, all for the child’s ultimate good. As often as your child may sin and go against your instructions, sometimes
to the point of ultimate rebellion, the one constant in a life of inconsistency is the love you have for your child, and the
hope that ultimately your instruction will take root and spring up in your child to his/her good.
But there are no ‘hopefuls’ with God. From eternity God loved you. His thoughts have always been good towards
you ( Jer.29:11 ), and He has been ordering things for that ultimate good; bringing you to Himself, by the effectual call
of His eternal Spirit, through the blood of His eternal Son. Some He calls early in life, some later. Some are blessed by
relative ease and others seem always in constant struggles. Some partaking in the vilest of sin, and others seeming to escape
these wickednesses. Why are things ordered this way? Because God has ordered them, and His plans will not be frustrated. Though
we can’t know fully this wisdom that brings all these thing to pass (for our ultimate good, and His glory) we can rest
assured that our own personal journeys have been the results of His constant, eternal love for us.
Our Response
How can we, when confronted with these wonderful truths, ever fear or despair over God’s faithfulness to His
promises towards us? Shall we not instead joyfully praise God for His loving-kindness and put our “trust under the shadow
of His wings”, as David so wonderfully sings (Ps.36:7)? God chose us because of His eternal love toward us; He called
us; He gave to us, His very own Son that we shall – no matter what has, or will, befall us in this life – in eternity,
when time shall be no more ( Rev.10:6 ), dwell with Him forevermore ( Rev.21:3,4 ), just as has always been purposed.
Let us then, with the same confidence as Paul – and knowing this, that God’s faithfulness is as He is,
eternal and immutable – declare “For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom.8:38, 39).
And as these things are so, let us also be unwavering in our devotion, service and love to our eternal, immutable God
and Father in heaven, while here on earth; looking for and anticipating with great joy and thanksgiving, that fuller revelation
of this eternal love wherewith He loves us, in the hereafter. Amen
© Kevin Rolfe – 2005
